081219 Leinster Women’s League Division 4 Longford 12 New Ross 32

By Nuala McGoey Longford Senior Women’s Head Coach

Longford Ladies faced New Ross at home in what would be their last match before the Christmas break.  They were hoping to keep their home winning streak alive, but tough weather conditions and missing key players saw New Ross come out on top.

New Ross kicked off with the wind on their side and Longford were under extreme pressure for the first 20 minutes struggling to get the ball out of their own 22.  Some serious defence was required by Longford during this period to keep New Ross at Bay.   However, New Ross kept coming at Longford and after relentless tackling by Longford's forwards, the home side managed to hold the ball up on the line.  However, New Ross wasted no time and crashed over the line from the resulting 5 m scrum to put them into a 0-5 lead.

Longford restarted the game but were unable to regain possession and again found themselves under pressure from the New Ross attack. A series of high tackles led to Monica Bannon being sin binned for ten minutes, putting Longford at a disadvantage and giving the visitors a penalty try.

A knock on at the kick-off gave Longford a scrum on the 22. Megan Banahan collected a great pass from Bex O'Hara and broke through the New Ross defence before falling victim to a brutal high tackle five metres out resulting in a penalty try for the home team.

Longford received a messy ball from another kick-off, but poor conditions led to a loss of possession. The first half was closed out with a series of line outs, with Amanda Sheridan making it very difficult for New Ross to win their own ball.

New Ross received the kick to start the second half with Maria Kelleher, Amanda Sheridan and Bex O'Hara chasing the ball down. Despite having the wind on their side, Longford conceded some ground to the visitors and allowed them to break through for another try, which was not converted.

The poor conditions caused a number of unforced errors on both sides, which resulted in the forwards having to shoulder immense pressure and work hard in scrum after scrum. Longford proved to be the stronger pack multiple times by stealing possession in the scrums but were unable to protect their own ball and ultimately allowed New Ross back into the danger zone for another try.

A turnover ball in a New Ross ruck saw Longford's pods working very well together.  Following good carries from Irene Murtagh, Dora Ledwith and Roisin Shaw, Maria Kelleher made a break from just outside the opposition's 22 metre line to run the ball straight past the New Ross defence and over the try line. The conversion was narrowly missed.

Despite the boost from a great try, Longford were not able to maintain possession or put more scores on the board. Great tackles from newcomers Heather Willis and Eimear Kelleher greatly benefited the defence, as did a strong performance from Abby Purdy on her senior debut. The home team persisted right through to the final whistle.  However, it ultimately finished up in a disappointing 32-12 loss for the Longford Ladies.

Longford: Irene Murtagh, Shauna Cahill, Hannah Shea, Rebecca Duffy, Amanda Sheridan, Róisín Shaw, Maria Kelleher, Dora Ledwith, Rebecca OHara, Megan Banahan, Megan Jobe, Leona Hoare, Caitríona Farrelly, Patricia Hourican, Monica Bannon, Eimear Kelleher, Natalie Ó Reilly, Heather Willis, Abby Purdy.

Training continues every Tuesday and Friday at 7:30 and new players are always welcome.